‘Untouchable’ wins Tokyo Grand Prix

Pic's Cluzet and Sy share best actor honor

Tokyo — “Untouchable,” French helmers Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache’s drama about the oil-and-water relationship between a paralyzed French aristocrat and his ex-con caregiver, won the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix at the 24th Tokyo Film Festival, which ended its nine-day run Sunday.

The pic’s leads, Francois Cluzet and Omar Sy, shared the best actor prize.

In a video message from Paris, Toledano and Nakache said they were busy promoting the pic’s

upcoming French release, but promised to come to Japan for its bow in 2012.

The second-place special jury prize went to Shuichi Okita’s “The Woodsman and the Rain,” the only Japanese pic in the competition.

Ruben Ostlund won director honors for “Play,” while Glenn Close took the actress laurel for her perf in Rodrigo Garcia’s “Albert Nobbs.”

The best artistic contribution honors went to Du Jiayi’s “Kora” and Tony Kaye’s “Detachment,” while Sylvain Estibal’s “When Pigs Have Wings” took the audience award.

In the Winds of Asia-Middle East section, Philippine helmer Jeffrey Jeturian’s “Trespasser” was voted best film while special mentions went to “The Mirror Never Lies,” “Tatsumi” and “The Robot.”

The Toyota Earth Grand Prix for the best pic with an eco-related theme went to “The Mirror Never Lies,” Indonesian helmer Kamila Andini’s drama about the impact of a fisherman’s loss at sea on his wife and daughter.

There were 41,648 admissions to 315 screenings of 128 pics in the fest, compared with 275 screenings last year, and a total of 172,231 admissions to all fest-related events, including the Tiffcom market.

Held Oct. 24-26, Tiffcom attracted nearly 800 registered buyers, about 10% more than last year. Deals, however, were thin on the ground, though many of the Japanese companies, especially Toho, Shochiku, Toei, NTV and TBS, had full meeting schedules.

One buyer complaint was the relative lack of Japanese titles with international potential. Even new pics that stirred up buzz among the press and critics, such as Gu Su-yeon’s bad-boy fist-fest “Hard Romanticker” and Yuya Ishii’s pregnancy dramady “Mitsuko Delivers,” did not seal deals. In other words, on to the American Film Market in Santa Monica.